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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035636">Courage for the Courageous</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisygirl101/pseuds/daisygirl101'>daisygirl101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Missing Moments [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Torture, Caretaking, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Married Life, Post-Breath of the Wild, Torture, light fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:07:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisygirl101/pseuds/daisygirl101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two weeks pass and there's still no sign of your husband, Link. He promised he'd be back safe and sound within a week. You know in your heart that something is wrong.</p><p>What you find is far beyond your worst fears.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Link (Legend of Zelda)/Reader, Link (Legend of Zelda)/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Missing Moments [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Strength</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a short little threeshot I wrote while taking breaks from Walking a Tightrope! I asked myself what would happen if Link was ever a prisoner of war, and now I have this.</p><p>Part two will be up tomorrow, part three will be here on Sunday :) You do not need to read Where the Heart Is to read this, but it takes place in the same universe.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which your strength is borrowed by those who need it most, despite the distance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If a traveler stepped into Hateno Village on this particular afternoon, he would suspect nothing amiss. The villagers milled about their days, shopping as needed and tending to their crops and businesses. The scenery was pleasant. Summer was bringing a new shade of green to the village and the weather was just warm enough for a soak in the sun.</p><p>If a traveler stepped into your home, however, he would see it was anything but a normal afternoon.</p><p>Your house was a disaster. Books were thrown across the living area. Dirty dishes were piled up in the kitchen. Blankets and clothing were scattered everywhere they shouldn’t be. In the center of the couch sat you, your hair unkempt and clothing in need of a wash. You hadn’t slept in two days now, unable to stop worrying and shaking in fear.</p><p>Link, your husband, had left for Gerudo Town two weeks ago. He had promised a quick return, as he chose to travel by Sheikah Slate instead of Epona. You knew he was supposed to be back days ago, and yet, nothing. There was no letter, no word, and no sign of Link. It was like he just vanished.</p><p>You fiddled with the necklace around your neck nervously. It had been a gift from Link last summer, when he returned from his last trip to Gerudo Town. It depicted a Silent Princess, much like the engagement ring he'd picked for you almost three years ago. You never took it off; it made you feel like Link was always with you.</p><p>After a week of him being gone, you started to wonder. He wasn’t normally gone for such long periods of time, especially when he traveled with his Sheikah Slate. By day three of his late arrival, your nightmares began. You could only tell yourself that he was just running late so many times before it felt farther from the truth than ever.</p><p>Day five was when you stopped sleeping. You were restless, often pacing the floor until you swore you the floorboards creaked at you, begging you to stop making indentations in them. Food didn’t taste right anymore, and you hadn’t left the house in two days.</p><p>Link was not one to keep you waiting. You knew something was wrong. Something had happened to him. But you were worried about showing up in the Gerudo Desert to see him just fine. He'd tell you that he lost track of time, or that he had issues with his Sheikah Slate, or that unexpected problems in town came up that he stayed to help with. He'd poke fun at you for being so worried over him before he'd send you back home. After all, he was Link! He was the Hero of Hyrule, the symbol of courage. He could win any battle.</p><p>
  <em>Except for the one a hundred years ago.</em>
</p><p>You frowned at the internal thought. That was definitely not helpful. The more you thought about it, the more you realized something probably was wrong. It wasn’t like Link to make you worry so. You stood from the couch and walked up the stairs, determined to find out what happened to him.</p><hr/><p>Link rolled his neck in pain and spit another glob of blood onto the ground. He looked up and met his captor's face. Their white mask hid their eyes and facial features from sight. Two more members stood behind the first, watching Link carefully. "Let's try this again, shall we?" the masked man asked.</p><p>Link didn’t dare reply. The Yiga Clan was no joke, but he wasn’t going to give up anything to them. He had been in their captivity for four days now and they hadn’t broken him yet. He was exhausted, beaten, and bruised. Currently, he was on his knees, hands tied together in front of him and chained to a metal ring on the hard stone floor. His feet were roped together as well. They had discarded his boots and shirt days ago in favor of whipping his bare back and threatening to make more scars on his rough skin.</p><p>"Tell me what you know about this," the Yiga soldier asked as he held up Link's Sheikah Slate. Link's face throbbed as he could feel bruises forming. He'd been hit enough for his cheeks to swell slightly and his teeth to cut the inside of his mouth, making a small trail of blood appear at the corner of his lips.</p><p>He knew the Yiga had been the enemies of the Sheikah for decades now. The Yiga were after the Sheikah's advancements in technology, as it was beneficial to their survival rate. Link silently stared back at the soldier in defiance. He hadn’t spoken a word in four days and he wasn’t going to start now.</p><p>"No? Alright then," the Yiga member replied and reached for the whip. Link bit his lip, already feeling the sting that was to come.</p><hr/><p>You stepped out of your Hateno home with a heavy dense of dread. Since you'd been rescued from your ruined village years ago, you had never traveled without Link, and you'd definitely never traveled alone. This was the first time that you'd loaded your quiver of arrows without Link beside you, and it did not feel great.</p><p>You rounded the corner of your home to see Elisabet, your trusty white stead, eagerly awaiting an adventure. You approached her and brushed her nose gently. Epona, who was in the stall beside her, didn’t seem to care at all. "We'll be back before you know it," you said to Epona, who whinnied in reply.</p><p>You pulled Elisabet from her stall and mounted her gracefully. Link had taught you a lot in your adventures together, and you felt like a much more confident rider now compared to when you started. You gave Elisabet a nudge and you were off.</p><p>The ride felt lonely compared to the usually exciting rides with Link. He would always do his best to find some little secret to show you. He knew just about every cave, river, and tree in Hyrule at this point. He always knew where to find the best views and the most magical spots. You missed the conversations between the two of you as the stars twinkled above and the hooves trotted below. To you, it was like pillow talk. It was quiet, intimate, and serene. You wouldn’t trade it for the world.</p><p>You looked out to the mountains rising ahead of you. Dueling Peaks was your last chance to rest before The Great Plateau. You decided to see how Elisabet was fairing when you arrived before making any final travel arrangements. Even though you knew you needed rest, you had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you found Link anyway.</p><hr/><p>Link lied on the cold stone floor of the Yiga hideout. It was incredibly silent, more so than he remembered it being. He hadn’t been inside the hideout since the two of you snuck in and stole the Gerudo heirloom back from the tribe.</p><p>His heart hurt when he thought of you. He knew you must be worried sick. Link did not like to keep you waiting. He cursed himself again for letting his guard slip for even just a moment. He had been walking from Kara Kara Bazaar to the Gerudo Canyon Stable in order to sell some things to a man at the stable. He had been in search of a large quantity of rushrooms. Link had finally managed to get a few from a traveling salesman near the bazaar. He planned to walk to the stable, as the Gerudo night air was refreshing and cool, sell the rushrooms, and return home to you.</p><p>That was four days ago.</p><p>The Yiga surrounded him silently. There were far too many for him to take down alone, even with his trusted sword. They took him quietly and without a trace. Upon arrival, they had dumped his entire sack of belongings out to inspect. The Yiga kept all of the food for themselves (so much for those rushrooms) and left his spare clothing alone. His other gear was no use to them either.</p><p>They took great interest in his Sheikah Slate however. Once they noticed the Sheikah insignia on the back and the energy powering the tablet, they instantly seized it. They restrained Link immediately and had left him alone for a day. His sword and all his weapons were missing.</p><p>On the second day, they started questioning him. They wanted to know who he was and what the strange tablet he had could do. Link refused to reply. Since then, they had been torturing him in any way they could. It started with the whippings, which weren’t horrible until his tunic was too tattered to protect him. Then came the small gashes in his arms. Every question unanswered became another tear in his skin, thanks to the soldiers' swords.</p><p>The Yiga had tried drowning him in tubs of water. That didn’t work either. They tried hitting him, and while it bruised Link physically, it certainly didn’t damage him mentally. Day three brought on new burn marks across his chest and back, effectively destroying his tunic. He was just thankful it was a tunic that could be replaced.</p><p>Today they tried electrocuting him with his own shock arrows (<em>the</em> <em>nerve!</em>), and other than a few cries of pain, Link hadn’t made another noise. They had asked him constantly about the Sheikah device and occasionally Queen Zelda. Link had a feeling they knew who he was.</p><p>He silently wondered if he would see you again. While he believed he was going to escape, he didn’t know how. His options were rather limited and his assets were close to none. The clan had removed all of his belts and cleaned out his pockets. His hair had come loose from his usual ponytail days ago, meaning he had nothing useful in his hair. He considered using one of his blue Sheikah earrings to try and get through the rope that bound his hands, but he wasn’t sure that he could get them out without ripping his ear. The last thing he needed was to lose more blood.</p><p>As he lied on the floor, he wondered what you were up to. Were you looking for him? Link almost hoped you weren’t. While torture was painful and unpleasant, he could pull through. But he would break the minute he had to watch you suffer. He would let them take his life before they laid a finger on you.</p><p>He could almost picture you in his mind. He absentmindedly moved his fingers to feel his wedding band more prominently. He thought of your beautiful smile and pretty eyes. Your kindness always warmed his heart. Your soft skin against his brought comfort. He missed your adorable laugh and the way you'd fall asleep on his chest.</p><p>There was no mistaking the light footsteps approaching. Link took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He needed to prepare for whatever came next.</p><hr/><p>Despite the nightfall that was fast approaching, you pushed yourself onward. You left Dueling Peaks several hours ago. You were slowly reaching where The Great Plateau sat. You could see its cliffs rising in the near distance.</p><p>Elisabet had pushed on so far, but you could tell she would need a break before heading out to Gerudo Canyon. You knew that the Outskirt Stable was just beyond the plateau. You would stop for your horse's sake.</p><p>Once you approached the stable, you brought Elisabet to a trot and dismounted before you stopped her in front of the front desk. "Hello. I'd like a bed for the night, please. And a space for my horse," you said and gestured to Elisabet. The man glanced at you casually, only taking a moment to stop writing in his book. Once he looked at you for a second, he went back to writing.</p><p>"Just you?"</p><p>"Just me," you replied with a small smirk.</p><p>"Not many women travel alone, especially this late," he said curiously. He nodded to the bow on your back. "You a hunter?"</p><p>"Sort of. Can I please get a bed? It's been a long journey," you said with a wan smile. You weren’t in the mood to deal with this crap today.</p><p>"If you sleep in my bed, it's free," he replied as he paused writing and looked up at you slyly. You gave him a sickly sweet smile.</p><p>"I'm married, but thanks," you said and held up the hand with your ring on it. He humphed at the ring and looked back down at his book. He didn’t say another word, so you assumed you weren’t getting a bed for the night. You sighed heavily and walked away.</p><p>It took everything in you not to turn around and shoot him with your bow. You grabbed Elisabet by the reins and led her over to a nearby patch of grass. You sat at the campfire and pulled some rations from your bag. You started snacking on an apple when someone interrupted your peace.</p><p>"Is this your horse?" You turned to see a Hylian woman, around your age, pointing to Elisabet. You swallowed the bite quickly and nodded.</p><p>"Yes, she is. I'm sorry, is she in the way?" you asked genuinely. The woman shook her head.</p><p>"Oh no, not at all! She's very beautiful. What's her name?"</p><p>"Elisabet," you replied proudly. She hummed in reply and gently placed a hand on her snout.</p><p>"I'm Canni, by the way. I'll be taking care of your horse while you stay with us. Sorry about Embry. I heard most of the conversation," she said as she pointed to the stable's desk. She almost sounded ashamed. You shook your head and held up a hand.</p><p>"(Y/N). And no need. It's not a big deal," you said kindly. Canni nodded and joined you at the cooking pot.</p><p>"You're welcome to stay out here, too. I know it's no bed, but I'll bring you a blanket," she told you.</p><p>"I would definitely appreciate that," you replied with a chuckle. She quickly hopped to her feet and ran inside the stable. The weather was nice and the stars were out. You'd slept outside before, so it really wouldn’t be a big deal.</p><p>Canni returned with a blanket and handed it to you. You nodded your thanks. "Oh! You have a gorgeous bow! Are you good with it?" You looked at the bow over your shoulder. It had been a gift from Zelda after you and Link got married. You were close friends with the Queen, and when she insisted on giving someone a gift, no wasn’t an option. It was hand carved from strong wood that had been painted white and reinforced with gold metal plates. Various symbols adorned the metal plates, such as the symbol of the Triforce and the crest of the royal family.</p><p>"I'm alright I suppose," you said with a light laugh, thinking about the final battle with Ganon. You were the one to finish him off with your bow, but you weren’t going to brag to this nice stable woman.</p><p>"Is that the crest of the royal family?" she asked excitedly. You nodded bashfully. "You are someone important then, aren’t you!" Canni said as her smile grew. You put your hands up quickly.</p><p>"Oh, definitely not. I'm not related to anyone royal or anything like that," you said with a laugh.</p><p>"Then you married into royalty! I heard you tell Embry you were married. Is it a knight? Or maybe one of the Queen's research heads?" You could feel her scoot closer to you. You got the sense she didn’t get out much and didn’t get to meet many people.</p><p>"No, not really. My husband is a friend of Queen Zelda's," you explained. You were always hesitant to tell people you were Link's wife. You were utterly proud to be, but every time you mentioned it, people launched questions about him at you for what felt like hours. You didn’t have the time or energy to be involved in that tonight.</p><p>Canni smirked at you and tapped her chin. She looked like she knew something you didn’t. "You are the Hero's wife, aren’t you?" she asked and pointed a finger at you. You looked down at the ground and fidgeted with your wedding ring.</p><p>"Yep, that’s me," you said with a sigh.</p><p>"Link was always kind to us here at the stable. That must be hard on you," she said quietly. You turned to her in confusion.</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>"Oh, I don’t mean to offend! I just mean that you have to constantly watch him spend his life fighting for Hyrule. I know you're there with him, Miss Heroine of the Bow," you tried not to cringe at the title Zelda picked for you, "but you don’t get a break often I imagine." You heard a rustle in the bushes behind you. You quickly turned, but saw nothing. You glared at the shrubs for a second longer before turning back to Canni.</p><p>"Yeah, some days are harder than others. But I love him, so it's worth it," you replied with an honest nod. Canni returned it and stood from the fire.</p><p>"Well, I'm sure you're exhausted from your long journey. If you get too cold or uncomfortable out here, feel free to sleep in my bed. It's the one closest to the door on this side," she explained as she pointed to the stable building. You smiled gratefully.</p><p>"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay out here. Goodnight, Canni," you said and lied down against the log.</p><p>"Goodnight, (Y/N)."</p><hr/><p>Link gasped down air as they pulled him from the bucket of water again. A solider had him by his hair and pulled hard to make him look up at the other Yiga Clan member. He scowled silently at the masked man. "What will it take to break you?" he asked Link quietly. There was no answer.</p><p>"Let's whip him again," the solider behind Link suggested. Link tried not to visibly flinch. The Yiga man in front of him shook his head.</p><p>"No, it's not working. Dunk him again." Link tried to swallow down as much air as possible before he was plunged face-first into the freezing cold water. He closed his eyes as his skin tingled from the cold. A minute went by, then two. Link was starting to get desperate for air. His body twitched reflexively as it tried to escape the water.</p><p>The solider pulled him out by his hair as he gasped for air. He took quick, deep breaths and tried to fill his lungs again. The masked man leaned down to be eye level with Link. "You are going to tell us everything you know about the Sheikah, Link. You will tell us how to use the Divine Beasts to destroy the Sheikah tribe. You will lead us right to Queen Zelda so we may eradicate those in our path."</p><p>Link turned his head to the side and broke eye contact, now scowling at the ground. The man roughly grabbed his chin and forced Link to look at him. "Stupid boy. No one knows you are here; no one is coming for you. You can't stay silent forever. You will speak, and when you do, you will be nothing but a mental wreck." The man harshly let go of Link and stood back to his full height. He gestured to someone in the background. The third Yiga member stepped forward and placed a bowl in front of Link. It was filled with a strange yellowish-brown substance. "Eat this. If the bowl isn’t empty by morning, we'll force it down your throat. You need to eat to keep what little strength you have left, or you won't survive tomorrow."</p><p>The three Yiga soldiers released their hold on Link and started to leave the room. Their leader stopped and looked at Link over his shoulder. "You know Link, my scouts spotted your wife out at Outskirt Stable this evening. It's only a matter of time before she comes looking for you. I'd think twice about my actions if I were you," he said coldly before he left.</p><p>Link collapsed onto the cold stone in exhaustion. <em>He's bluffing, </em>he kept telling himself. But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that it wasn’t a lie.</p><hr/><p>It took you most of the next day to get out to the Gerudo Canyon Pass, but the sun was setting as you approached the last stable before the Gerudo Desert. You thought back to the time that you traveled through the canyon with Link. A member of the Yiga Clan had attacked the two of you. Link took the hit for you, but you were able to mend his wound adequately at the stable.</p><p>You thought about the Yiga for a moment. They had dwindled since Master Kohga's defeat at Link's hand a few years ago, but their presence was still known. Truthfully, with Ganon and his moblins and bokoblins gone, the Yiga were probably the biggest threat to Hyrule. You laughed at the thought.</p><p>You slowed Elisabet at the entrance of the stable and dismounted. You quickly crossed the dirt to the counter of the stable. "Hello. I'd like to board my horse please," you said as kindly as possible to the man at the counter. You didn’t want to experience the same thing you did last night.</p><p>He looked up at you and managed a small smile. "Name's Piaffe. How long are you boarding with us?"</p><p>"I'm not sure yet. A few days, probably," you said with a shrug. He nodded and waved one of his assistants over.</p><p>"Pirou! Help this woman with her horse," he yelled. The older man took Elisabet's reins lightly and led her away. "Are you also staying with us?"</p><p>"No, actually. I'm headed to Gerudo Town," you explained and brushed a piece of your hair back. You chose to wear your Sheikah gear out on the trip. For some reason, your hair wouldn’t stay up in its bun. It was usually better when Link did it for you.</p><p>"Oh, I wouldn’t do that. It's not safe for you," Piaffe said with a shake of his head. You tried not to roll your eyes and settled on crossing your arms instead.</p><p>"Why? Because I'm a woman, by herself?"</p><p>"Oh, not at all. I didn’t mean to offend. It's just that the Yiga Clan has been a little more active lately. We've lost a few travelers recently, and we think they are to blame. Just be careful out there, especially at night. One sandstorm and you're done for," he warned you. You dropped your shoulders from their defensive position.</p><p>"Oh. Thank you," you said with a nod. You turned from the desk and started walking to the golden sands of the desert.</p><p>An hour went by and you weren’t to Kara Kara Bazaar yet. The desert was especially cold tonight, and you'd chosen to travel lightly, leaving your warmer coat with Elisabet. You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked out to your right. There wasn’t a sandstorm or Yiga member in sight, despite the warnings of the stable boy. You stopped walking for a moment as something dawned on you.</p><p>
  <em>The Yiga Clan has been a little more active lately…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We've lost travelers recently…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Be careful, especially at night…</em>
</p><p>You turned sharply to the right and started walking to the Yiga Clan Hideout.</p><hr/><p>Link cried out in pain as the soldier continued to press the hot metal against his feet. The bottoms of his bare feet were scorched now. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk far for a few days. The leader nodded to the soldier and the metal was removed. "Where can we find the lab of the Sheikah people?"</p><p>Link was too busy catching his breath to answer. He bit into his lip hard, splitting it open and making him bleed. He already had a small trail of dried blood on his mouth in addition to the rest of his body. He hadn’t washed off in six days now. He spit the blood from his mouth once he could breathe again.</p><p>He kept telling himself that he needed to be strong in order to get home to you. He needed to get away before you had a chance to find him. Link especially didn’t want you in the hideout, nor did he want you watching while they tortured him. He always did his best to hide the disturbing parts of his life from you. He trusted you, but he didn’t want you to witness the horrors in the event they affected you mentally. He liked keeping you blissfully unaware sometimes.</p><p>A hard slap snapped him from his thoughts. When he didn’t respond, the metal was placed back onto his feet. Link threw his head back and hissed in pain. "Just tell us what you know and we'll leave you alone."</p><p>Link sucked in a breath and glared at the man as bitterly as he could. He opened his mouth for the first time in days to speak a single word, "Never."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Courage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which your courage is needed to rescue those who can't find theirs.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You approached the secret entrance of the hideout cautiously. Your Sheikah armor would help with keeping things quiet, but you still had to be careful. One mistake could cost you your life.</p><p>The circular room covered in tall banners was deserted and silent. You remembered which banner was the false one and pushed it aside. You shifted your bow into your hands and loaded it before stepping inside.</p><p>You hadn’t seen the interior of the hideout before. Last time you were here, the Yiga had taken you from Link and rendered you unconscious before leaving you in the dirt outside the back entrance of the hideout. The rooms were mostly stone, with several shipping crates stacked up strategically. You'd have to use them in your favor.</p><p>You noticed several soldiers on patrol. These soldiers were bigger than the ones found in the field. You knew you could probably take one of them down, but if there were several on you at once? It wouldn’t end well. You weren’t as talented with close combat as you were with your bow. You'd have to rely on stealth and good aim.</p><p>You noticed a stack of bananas nearby. You briefly remembered that the clan had a love of the fruit. You grabbed a few and stuffed them into your bag. Maybe you could use them to your advantage.</p><p>You managed to sneak down the stairs and behind a small stack of crates. There was a large soldier guarding the doorway into the next room. You took your bow out and fired an arrow into the opposite corner of the room, breaking a clay pot in the process. The noise got the soldier's attention and he left the doorway to investigate. You took the moment to slip through the door and into the hallway.</p><p>To your left was a tall ladder. It looked like a safe place to look things over. You quickly and stealthily climbed the wooden frame until you came upon a narrow hallway. It mostly overlooked the first floor, which was crawling with soldiers. You grimaced; you'd have to be extra careful.</p><p>You made your way down the wooden hallway as you looked at the floor below. You noticed some gear at the end of the hall when you looked back up. You made sure no one below had noticed you before approaching the gear. You felt your stomach sink when you saw whose it was.</p><p>A familiar bag sat mostly empty on the floor. You picked it up and noticed that there was still a tunic inside, one that you had repaired not that long ago. The provisions were gone, but there were still some arrows and other raw materials. Beside the bag lied an unforgettable sword. You swallowed hard before you picked it up. Its weight confirmed your worries; it was indeed the Master Sword.</p><p>Link was here.</p><p>If all his gear was here, something was incredibly wrong. You strapped the sword to your back and threw his bag over your shoulder. You noticed a set of narrow wooden walkways that could get you across the second floor. There was a doorway on the other side of the room. If they were keeping Link somewhere here, chances were he was somewhere far into the hideout. You also noted that there were two large guards in front of the doorway instead of the usual one. What could they possibly have that needed to be so heavily guarded?</p><p>"Bingo," you muttered to yourself with a smirk. You applied pressure to the window beside you. To your relief, it popped open slowly. You crawled out onto the wooden walkway and only stood when you knew you had your footing. You walked along the platform until you were above the heavily guarded door. You crouched down to assess the situation. You could probably take one out with your bow, but the other would soon notice your presence and alert the other guards.</p><p>As you thought it over, a banana slipped from your satchel and fell. You gasped and leaned away from the edge, hoping you wouldn’t be spotted. You heard the banana hit the ground, but to your surprise, no other noises. You hesitantly looked down to see the guards fighting over the single banana, now several feet from the door. You decided to question the situation later and carefully hopped down from the platform. You slipped through the doorway and turned to the stone hallway.</p><p>You were uncertain of where to go until you heard a familiar voice cry out in agony. You ran toward the sound without another thought.</p><hr/><p>The shock arrow burns were almost bringing tears to Link's eyes. Normally he wasn’t so vulnerable, but he hadn’t eaten in several days. He refused to eat whatever they gave him in fear of poisons and would normally throw up anything they force fed him as soon as he was alone again. His mouth was dry from the lack of water and his body ached from the days of painful torture.</p><p>"I can see it in your eyes that you are barely hanging on. Just talk and I can make it all go away," the man said with a wave of his hand. Link grunted before he spit on the leader's mask. The man stumbled back in shock. "You filth!"</p><p>Link kept his scowl on as the man wiped the spit from his mask. The man started yelling at him, hurling insults left and right. Link normally tuned it out, but he was now more interested in the door that led to the hallway. He could have sworn he saw a dark shape move across the doorway. No Yiga soldier moved like this figure did. Someone else was here.</p><p>"Do you hear me?" the man boomed down at Link, who snapped back to attention. The man grabbed his friend's sword and held it to Link's neck. "I've just about had it with you. You have information I want, but you must realize there are other ways I can get it. There are other people who know what the tablet does and where I can find the Sheikah lab. You are not indispensable.</p><p>"I will give you one last chance. Tell me what you know of the Sheikah and I will consider sparing your life." Link glared at the man silently. If this was the way he had to go, then so be it. It would be an honor to give his life protecting the Sheikah tribe and the Queen.</p><p>He just wished he could have told you how much he loved you one more time.</p><p>The man chuckled and raised the sword. "You are foolish, indeed." He was about to swing the blade at Link's neck when he noticed something yellow appear on the ground. There was no mistaking that smell; it was a banana. The two other Yiga soldiers stopped what they were doing and walked over to pick it up. The leader tried to resist, but he couldn’t help it.</p><p>You stepped into the doorway and shot an arrow into the first soldier's thigh. He faded into a cloud of smoke instantly. The second soldier didn’t have enough time to react before you fired an arrow through his stomach, making him disappear too. You turned to shoot the last soldier in the room, but realized he was charging at you with a heavy sword. You gasped and dodged out of the way as quickly as you could.</p><p>You knew your bow was ineffective at close range. It took too long to load and fire an arrow in close combat. You dodged another swing as you thought over your assets. You reached over your shoulder and drew the Master Sword from its sheath. It was heavy in your hands and not very powerful without Link's Triforce in you. It would have to do.</p><p>You used the sacred blade to block the next swing and managed to shove the man off of you. You took a swing at him, but due to your lack of experience with the sword, it did almost no damage. You quickly thought up another plan.</p><p>The next time you dodged a swing of the Yiga member's sword, you swiftly elbowed him in the jaw. The blow was enough to stun him for a second. You raised the sword and brought the hilt down on his head, knocking him unconscious and to the ground in a heap. You looked at him, panting from the rush of adrenaline. "(Y/N)?"</p><p>You turned on your heel to see Link. He was on his knees, looking at you over his shoulder. You sheathed the sword and ran to him, kneeling in front of him. You had promised yourself you wouldn’t cry when this day came, the day that you reunited with your husband to see him broken and scarred beyond belief, but you couldn’t help it. Your hands covered your mouth as you started to sob.</p><p>Bruises and burns littered his chest. His arms had gashes all down the sides, covered in dried blood. A dark bruise covered the better right half of his face. There was dried blood near his mouth. You dared to stand from your knees and examine his back. The sight made you sick. His flesh was red and raw. You could only imagine the pain he was feeling. You noticed several burns on the bottom of his bare feet too. He wouldn’t be able to walk far, and maybe not at all. "Hey, come here," Link said in a raspy voice. You slowly came around to kneel in front of him. He gave you a weak smile. "I'm okay. I know it looks bad, but I'll recover," he tried to comfort you. "Don’t cry. I'm okay."</p><p>"I… I should have been here sooner," you hiccupped out. "I can't believe they did this to you." You were shaking all over again. Link longed to hold you and rub your tears away, but his ropes made that a challenge. He held up his bound hands.</p><p>"Think you could give me a hand?" he asked. You grabbed the Yiga soldier's sword from the floor nearby and held it to the ropes that bound Link's hands.</p><p>"Link, I'm shaking too much. I'm going to hurt you," you said with another hiccup.</p><p>"No, you're not. You're okay. You're doing great. Just go slow," he tried to encourage you. You carefully pressed the blade into the rope until the rope started to snap. After a little more pressure, the rope snapped in half and Link's hands were free. You tried not to look at the bright red rope burns on his wrists.</p><p>Link carefully took the sword from your hands and bent enough to cut his own feet free. It hurt his torn up back incredibly, but it was better compared to watching you shake in fear. Once the other rope snapped, he was completely free. "Okay, grab the Sheikah slate from his hip. Let me get my boots and we can get out of here. I promise I'll explain everything once we get home," he told you. You nodded and swallowed hard. It wasn’t the time to break down. Link needed your strength.</p><p>"We have to get Elisabet first. She's at the stables."</p><p>"No problem. The slate can take us there," he replied and carefully put a boot back on. He did his best to hide his pain from you. You grabbed the slate as Link put his other boot back on. He tried to push himself up, but was struggling to do so. You extended your hand down to him as an offer of help. When he looked up into your eyes, he suddenly wondered if this was how you felt when he rescued you upon your first meeting, years ago.</p><p>Link took your hand and you pulled him to his feet. He stumbled into you, and you did your best to keep him upright. He winced in discomfort despite trying to hide the pain from you. He started to reach for the sword hanging on your shoulder, but you stopped him and shook your head. "I've got it. I promise," you tried to reassure him.</p><p>"You'll hurt your shoulder. Let me take it," he insisted. You again shook your head.</p><p>"It'll hurt your shoulder more. I promise I've got it. Unless you think I'm not worthy or something," you joked. The slight jest made Link crack a small grin. You shifted the weight on your shoulder before pulling up the Sheikah Slate. You looked down as the map of Hyrule illuminated your face. Link tried not to admire the glow of your eyes too obviously. He still wasn’t totally convinced this was real.</p><p>You selected the Kay Noh Shrine, the one closest to the Gerudo Canyon Stable, and took Link's hand. You hated the tingling feeling that came with traveling by the slate. You weren’t sure how Link had ever managed to get used to this. You closed your eyes as the blue light overtook you.</p><p>You kept your eyes closed as you thought of what to do next. You had never tried teleporting one of your horses with the slate, so you might have to face a tough situation if it didn’t work. You weren’t sure that Link could ride horseback the entire way back to Hateno, however. You also couldn’t leave Elisabet at the stable in the heat. She could handle it for short periods of time, but Link's recovery was going to take several weeks. You couldn’t leave her that long. You also couldn’t leave Link at home alone. He needed medical attention that he couldn’t provide for himself, and if they did torture him like you suspected, you could only imagine the wreck his mental and emotional states were in.</p><p>When you opened your eyes, your brain felt calmer and you had the beginning of an idea. Link groaned and leaned heavily onto you. You eased him down into a sitting position at the shrine, away from the sun. You pulled his spare shirt from his bag. He looked lazily up at you. You noticed his attention was starting to drift. You snapped your fingers in front of his face. "Hey, stay with me. I need you awake. I know you're tired, but I need to look at you before you sleep."</p><p>That seemed to do the trick and he nodded. You crouched down and tipped his chin up so you could closely examine his face. "You have beautiful eyes," Link muttered and cracked a small smile. You rolled your eyes and tried to hide your own smile. The most obvious wound on his face was the large bruise forming on his left cheek. It was almost in the identical spot your bruise from the Yiga Clan had been a few years back. You also took note that his lip was cut open and he still had dried blood and dirt on his face. Link's eyes didn’t leave yours for a second as he watched you look him over.</p><p>Your eyes moved down to his chest. You noticed strange red splotches across his chest. The skin looked irritated. They were all in a circular shape, about two inches wide. You curiously nodded to them. "Are these welts?"</p><p>"Burn marks," Link quietly admitted. His gaze was still locked onto you. You wondered if he was just trying to bring himself back to reality. You decided not to press the question any further and continued to examine him. You noted several bruises on his chest as well, but they were not as dark as the one on his cheek.</p><p>You gently took his hands in yours and turned them over. He had rope burn around his wrists, which made the skin irritated and red. Your eyes traveled up to his arms to see more light bruising accompanied by dozens of cuts. They didn’t look deep, but they were mostly obscured by dried blood, so it truly was hard to tell. "How do your feet feel?"</p><p>"They're fine," he replied. You raised an eyebrow at such a white lie.</p><p>"Don’t lie to me, Link. I have to know the truth so I can treat you correctly," you tried to reason with him. He always did this to you. He kept you in this blissful little bubble when it came to his most horrifying hardships. You knew he was trying to protect you from the terrors he had to face, but you were his wife. You wanted to listen and support him. "Please don’t hide this one from me. It's only going to get worse," you said and placed a hand on his good cheek. He leaned into your soft touch with a sigh of relief.</p><p>"They hurt, a lot. My back is the worst though," he admitted with closed eyes. You brushed your thumb across his cheek and managed a weak smile. Your poor hero had never looked so broken.</p><p>"Let me make sure there's nothing I need to treat immediately and then I promise I'll get us home," you reassured him. You carefully leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on his forehead. He gave you a genuine smile in reply.</p><p>You helped Link sit up slowly and tried to gasp when you saw his bare back. Link had acquired his fair share of scars and injuries while you'd been married, and many more before that, but you'd never seen something so bad. There wasn’t an untouched patch of skin anywhere to be seen. Most of his back consisted of long red lines. It was obviously they had whipped him heavily. You noticed that the skin tried to heal, but was reopened before it had the chance. They would definitely scar.</p><p>You also noticed two other burns on his shoulder blades. They didn’t quite look like fire burns, but they were burns nonetheless. You again decided to ask later. "You're probably dehydrated, but everything else looks like it can wait until home. Do you know if I can use the slate to teleport Elisabet home with us?"</p><p>"Not sure," he replied quietly. He was starting to slip again, but to where you weren’t sure. You silently wondered what exactly the Yiga Clan had done to him. You had no idea how long he'd been held captive or what occurred in that small stone room. You just hoped there wasn’t any permanent damage. All of his wounds looked to be external, so it was a promising start.</p><p>"Okay, I'll be right back. Here, put the spare tunic on. I know it might irritate your skin, but at least you'll be safe from the sun," you said as you moved to his front and handed him the spare shirt. You realized he probably didn’t have the energy to lift it over his head. You helped him lift his arms up as well as he could and slid the fabric slowly down over his head. He hissed as the cloth brushed against his wounded back. You grimaced for him and placed your hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts. Just hang in there a little while longer," you tried to comfort. He gave a weak nod.</p><p>You stood from your crouched position and quickly jogged over to the stables. The man at the counter gave you a wave and you asked for your horse back. After paying your fees and taking Elisabet back, you guided her back over to where Link was resting against the shrine. You noticed his eyes slipping shut again. "Hey! C'mon, stay with me. We're almost home," you said as he blinked and looked up at you. He swallowed dryly and nodded.</p><p>You pulled the Sheikah Slate from your hip and loaded up the map once again. Link grabbed ahold of your ankle to ensure he traveled with you. You placed a hand on Elisabet and prayed to Hylia that this would work. You selected the travel point that you'd placed outside your home. You closed your eyes and started to whisper your prayers.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Wisdom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which you pray that Hylia gives you the wisdom to make the right choices.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When you opened your eyes again, Link was by your feet and Elisabet was on your left. Everyone had made it back in one piece. You took a few seconds to breathe and enjoy the small victory. You looked down at Link, who was slowly slipping in and out of consciousness. You imagined he was probably exhausted. "Link? We're almost home, but I need your help getting you there. Can you stand up for me?" you asked and offered him a hand once again. He dizzily looked up and nodded.</p><p>You pulled Link to his feet and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You placed a firm grip around his waist, being as mindful as possible of his wounds. Every step he took he whimpered in pain thanks to his burned feet. You took it as slow as you could, but you could tell the symptoms of shock were starting to set in. His skin was pale and clammy. He seemed confused and dazed. You wished you had the strength to carry him into your home.</p><p>After what seemed like hours, you crossed the lawn and made it to your home. You kicked the door open and walked into your home. You had forgotten what a mess it was until this moment. You groaned at you looked at the stairs. "Think you can make it up the stairs?" you asked and nudged Link lightly. His head bobbed up and down. You took it for a yes and started to climb the steps.</p><p>Link tripped several times, but you did your best to catch him. As you reached the top step, Link stumbled and started to fall forward. You turned quickly and managed to place your body in front of his, catching him from his fall. He groaned in pain. "C'mon, you're doing really great. We'll get you over to the bed and you can lie down. Then I can start taking care of those wounds and get you feeling better, okay?"</p><p>The words of encouragement seemed to do the trick. The two of you finally made it to your shared bed and Link flopped onto the mattress. He sat on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. You kneeled in front of him and grabbed the hem of his tunic. "I'm going to take this off. Can you lift your arms?" Link listened and lifted his arms enough that you could remove the fabric. You tossed the garment aside and looked down at his boots. "I'm going to take your boots off. It might hurt, so I'm sorry if it does."</p><p>Link's eyes were open and he watched you lazily. You unlaced his left boot and started to pull it gently from his burnt foot. He threw his head back and bit his lip, trying not to cry out. Every hiss of pain felt like a knife being twisted in your gut. Once you removed the first boot, you moved to the second one. <em>When did I start shaking so much? </em>You silently wondered.</p><p>You pulled the second boot off despite Link's whimpers of pain. You carefully held his ankles in your hands and looked at the bottom of his feet. The burns were definitely second-degree, but his blisters were still thankfully intact. You started to try and remember all of the medical knowledge Impa had given you during your visits to Kakariko, but you weren’t coming up with much. You gently placed Link's feet down and ran downstairs to grab your first aid kit.</p><p>You grabbed the heavy box and stuffed it under your arms. You ran to the sink to grab the kettle full of leftover water and whatever other supplies you thought you needed before going back upstairs. Link's head was slumped forward, but he was still sitting up on the bed. He was definitely slipping into shock from dehydration and his wounds. You tried not to let panic overcome you and focus on the task at hand.</p><p>You slammed the box down on the floor and knelt in front of Link. With shaky hands, you poured water onto a towel and dabbed it on his burns. There was some dirt stuck to his foot that came off relatively easily. His breath hitched every time you rubbed the towel against his burn. "I know it hurts. You're going really great. Just remember to breathe," you comforted. You set the towel down and grabbed two cloth bandages from your kit. You wrapped one around each foot, hiding the burns from further friction.</p><p>You looked up to see Link's eyes closed again. You knew he needed fluids quickly, but he could choke by mouth. You hesitantly looked at the syringe in your kit. Neither of you had ever had to use it. You certainly weren’t looking forward to changing that. You took a deep breath and stood.</p><p>With a little maneuvering, you managed to get Link's trousers off as well and tossed them in the pile on the floor. You pressed on his shoulders gently to get him to lie down. Impa had only taught you how to do these injections one time, but you would have to find a way to make it work.</p><p>You poured some water into a bowl and broke off a tiny chunk of rock salt to add to the water. You waited until it dissolved until you filled the syringe with it. It would have to do. You grabbed a roll of medical tape and sat on the edge of the bed beside Link. He looked up at you in a daze. "I'm going to put the needle into your arm, okay? I need you to get some fluids back," you told him slowly. He shook his head.</p><p>"No," he croaked out. "It hurts." The raspy and vulnerable words made tears spring to your eyes.</p><p>"I know, dear, but I have to. I promise it'll help you relax," you said and pushed his blond hair back. He looked scared, a look that you had only seen once or twice before. When he didn’t complain anymore, you turned and stretched out his arm. You cleaned the dirt from the surface of his forearm first. You tried to still your hand as much as you could as you inserted the needle. When the needle pricked his skin, Link flinched and unintentionally pushed it into the wrong spot. You tried not to show your frustration.</p><p>"No," he coughed again. He looked confused and pale. You shook your head and pushed his hair back again.</p><p>"You need to be as still as possible. I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but it'll help. The sooner the better," you explained. The expression he gave you was one you'd never seen before. It was a mixture of pain and sorrow, but you could see he was longing for something. You weren’t sure whether it was peace or valor- maybe both.</p><p>You turned and placed the needle back into his skin. This time, he didn’t flinch. You breathed a sigh of relief as the needle took its place in his vein. You taped the needle and syringe to his arm to avoid anything falling out. As you were taping, Link's broken voice reached your ears. "(Y/N)?"</p><p>"Yes, sweetheart?"</p><p>"Am I going to die?" The question made your heart jump. You looked down at him. There was nothing but uncertainty in his eyes. You quickly shook your head.</p><p>"No, you're going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. I promise I'll make it okay," you said as your breath hitched. "Just hang in there. You're doing so well," you said and wrapped your hand around his. You gave it a small squeeze to try and reassure him. You pushed just a little bit of fluid from the syringe into his arm. If you remembered correctly, it was supposed to be really small doses over a period of time.</p><p>You let his arm rest while you grabbed more cleaning supplies. "I'm sorry I can't do more for these cuts. I'll clean them off and then if they hurt later I'll find some ointment for them, okay?" As you ran the cloth towel down his arms, Link seemed to relax a little more. You occasionally pushed more water into his arm to help restore his fluids.</p><p>Once you finished with the cuts on his arms, you moved to lightly straddle his hips. You grabbed a fresh towel and some more warm water to clean his chest. "Is this okay?" you quietly asked. Link gave a nod. "Good. I think you’ve made it through the worst of it. I just need to get you cleaned up and bandaged, then I can make you some food when you're ready for it," you said as you dabbed the towel on a burn near his heart. His eyes were closed and he didn’t make any indication that he heard you, but you knew he was listening.</p><p>You covered the burns on his chest in bandages to avoid the blisters breaking. You turned to push the last of the saline fluid into his arm before carefully removing the tape and needle. You turned back to his face to take care of his lip. With one hand, you leaned forward and held his chin to avoid him moving too much. The other hand dabbed the wet towel along his bottom lip. The cut in his lip was the right size to be from his own teeth. You realized it must have been self-inflicted unintentionally.</p><p>Link's eyes fluttered open as he watched you work. He looked better and more alert. You gave him a smile and stopped cleaning for a moment. "Feeling any better yet?"</p><p>"A little. Thank you," he replied. You leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on his forehead. You finished cleaning the dirt and blood from his face and moved from your position on his hips. You picked up the cup of water from beside the bed and handed it to him. He took it and sat up slowly.</p><p>"Small sips," you reminded him. He tried his best, but he was too dehydrated to listen. He handed the now empty cup back to you and sighed. You picked up another towel and a bottle of balm from your kit. "Ready to roll over?" Link wordlessly listened and rolled slowly onto his stomach. His arms stretched above his head as he rested his head on the pillow. You sat on the bed beside him and got a good look at his lashes.</p><p>The thought of Link being whipped made your blood boil. Your heart hurt for him but if you ever got your hands on those Yiga soldiers again, they would be <em>very </em>sorry. As you leaned in, you noticed there was dirt and tiny bits of stone lodged in some of the cuts. The shaky feeling returned to your hands when you realized you were going to have to get it out. You grabbed the tweezers from your kit and sat beside him. "Link? Some of your cuts have small bits of stone in them. I have to get them out. It's going to hurt, but I'm going to do my best to be quick, okay?"</p><p>"Mm-hmm," he replied into the pillow. He fisted his hands into the pillow as you lowered your hand to his back. You placed one hand flat on his skin and worked the tweezers to the first piece of debris. You felt the muscles in his back tense up under your hand. Link let out a low groan as you pulled the first piece from his back. You set the tweezers down in a bowl and removed the belt from your pants.</p><p>"Here, bite down on this. I don’t want you to cut that lip open anymore."</p><p>"You mean you don’t wanna kiss it better?" he grumbled in a half-hearted joke. You rolled your eyes, despite the calming effect his voice had. It was nice to know your husband still had that boyish attitude. His words made the situation feel just a little lighter. Link took the leather from you and placed it between his teeth.</p><p>The next few minutes were some of the most agonizing in your life, but you could only imagine how it felt for Link. You could hear his cries of pain through the leather belt every time you had to dig in one of his wounds to recover the foreign material. Once you were done, you had a small pile of bloodied stone bits beside you. You tended to his burns with more tape and bandages before getting him to sit up.</p><p>You climbed behind him in bed with the headboard of the bed behind you. Carefully, you applied a balm to each of his lashes- you counted about forty that broke the skin- before you wrapped a cloth bandage around his abdomen. Once you were done, you let out a breath and flopped back against the headboard. You finally stopped shaking and were able to take a breath. Link looked over his shoulder at you. "Are you okay?"</p><p>You wanted to yell in response. The man you loved was <em>tortured </em>for who knows how many days and he had the nerve to ask if you were okay? You weren’t sure whether his humility astounded you or made you want to hit him. "I should be asking you that," you quietly replied. He hummed in reply and nodded. "Let me go make you something to eat."</p><p>Link didn’t answer you. You stood from the bed and took a few steps away, but Link reached out and grabbed your wrist. You stopped and turned to look at him. His big cyan eyes were desperately pleading with yours. "Please don’t leave me."</p><p>Your gaze softened as you looked down at him. Your eyes lingered on the bruise on his cheek. You had planned at some point to see if he was ready to talk about what happened, but you knew he needed to eat first. He was definitely malnourished for a normal person, so it was obvious he was extremely malnourished for being Link.</p><p>Link's grip on you started to loosen when you took too long to answer. You quickly grabbed his hand to remind him you were still there. You noticed the stash of spare blankets beside your bed and suddenly had an idea.</p><p>"I promise I won't leave your sight," you said at last. Link hesitantly let go of his hold on you and nodded. You pulled the chair from your desk and put it next to the railing of the loft. "Here, come sit over here," you told him and offered him a hand. He took it and slowly got to his feet. He mostly walked on his toes, but you could still see it caused him pain. He plopped down in the chair and leaned back. "I'm going to take some stuff down the stairs, but you should be able to see me the entire time, okay?"</p><p>"Okay," Link replied with a nod.</p><p>"And I promise that once I've got this handled and you’ve eaten something, I won't leave your side for as long as you need," you told him. It managed to coax a small smile from Link, and you rewarded it with a kiss on his good cheek.</p><p>As quickly as you possibly could, you ripped the sheets from your mattress and tossed them aside. Link watched you quietly, curious as to what you had in mind. You rolled up the sleeves of your tunic and grabbed the edge of the bare mattress. You managed to get it standing up vertically, which seemed like a good start. You were smaller than it was, so it was no surprise when it started to tip. You quickly threw your hands up to stop it. Link watched with a curious expression. He tried not to laugh; whatever you were doing was certainly going to helpful to him in the end.</p><p>You turned the mattress onto its side so the longer edge was now against the floor. You pushed it towards the stairs and, with a heave, you shoved it down the stairs. It thumped its way down to the first floor and you threw your arms up into the air and gave Link a smile. "Ta-dah," you jokingly said.</p><p>"You are something else," he replied with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>"Well now we can head downstairs and we can stay down there. I'll bring you whatever clothing you need from up here, but I'll set our bed up downstairs so you don’t have to worry about navigating the stairs so much. It'll be good for your feet," you explained as you moved your hands to your hips. "Let me just rearrange the mattress and then I'll help you down. Sound good?"</p><p>"Sure, my flower," he said with a grin.</p><p>Link's body felt heavy, even sitting in the chair. He was exhausted physically and his mind kept looping back to that dark room he was chained in. The fear he felt in that room was very real, not to mention the pain from the things they did to him. His stomach had been empty for two days now and he knew he was going to need a good emotional breakdown sooner than later.</p><p>Despite all of this, he still couldn’t help but smile every time you looked at him. You were so pure, so full of light. You were such a contradiction from his life alone that sometimes he even wondered how the two of you ended up together- not that he would change a thing about your marriage. He loved you with everything he had.</p><p>You finished moving the mattress into the alcove under the stairs and setting up the makeshift bed. You made your way back up the stairs, almost missing the top step. You threw your arms out for balance and managed to catch yourself before anything catastrophic happened. You sincerely hoped your grace would never be tested at a royal event. Even the thought of dancing at some fancy ball made your balance and grace want to hide far away.</p><p>You again extended a hand to Link and he took it. Step by step, you walked down each stair until you were on the ground floor together. You guided Link over to the bed and let him sit down again. "I think we have some milk and eggs that are still good. How about a seafood crepe?"</p><p>"That sounds delicious," he admitted with a light chuckle. You nodded and started to walk away before his words stopped you. "You better make one for yourself, too. I know you haven’t eaten." You didn’t turn around, but you smiled anyway. He really did know you better than anyone else ever could.</p><hr/><p>Two empty plates sat beside the bed on the floor. You were sitting upright against the wall. Link's head rested on your chest, listening to the soft beating of your heart. He found comfort in your heartbeat, just as you found comfort in his. You were gently combing through his blond locks, waiting for him to speak the first words.</p><p>"I was there for six days, I think." Link's words snapped you out of your far off thoughts. "I started losing track after day four. It was hard to tell because there were no windows where I was. I was able to keep track based on which members came to see me, but things got fuzzy after a while.</p><p>"I was taken while traveling from Kara Kara to the Gerudo Canyon Stable. I would have traveled by the slate, but I really just wanted to enjoy the walk in the night air. It was a nice night; you would have liked it. There were so many of them that appeared out of nowhere, I couldn’t stop them quickly enough. Looking back on things, I should have been stronger. I shouldn’t have let my guard down for that moment."</p><p>"Hey, you can't beat yourself up for that. You're plenty strong. I've seen you take down lynels and defeat huge evil beings," you told him. You pulled his chin up to look at him and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. It brought Link back, reminded him that he really was home.</p><p>"You shouldn’t have to come rescue me, though. I put you in danger because I wasn’t watching," he muttered. "Although it was pretty impressive of you to swing my sword around the way you did and show off your growing archery skills," he said with a smirk.</p><p>"I'm glad that you get a hard on from watching me with weapons," you teased. Link laughed and shoved you lightly.</p><p>"Hey, I'm serious. I'm really proud of you."</p><p>A moment of silence passed. Neither of you wanted to open the emotional wounds, but you knew it needed to happen. "What did they want from you?"</p><p>"Information, mostly. They wanted to know how to use the Sheikah Slate. When I didn’t answer, they tortured me." Another silence passed. This one felt tense. There were sentences left hanging, words unspoken that needed to be spilt. You traced a finger across his bottom lip, intentionally stopping on his cut.</p><p>"Do you want to talk about this?"</p><p>"Do you want to <em>hear </em>about this?" he asked, as if expecting you to back down immediately. You nodded and shifted so you were lying down on the mattress. He stayed sitting up, crossed his legs, and turned to face you. He pointed to the burns on his wrists first. "These came from the ropes they kept me in. I woke up in them after the ambush. All of my stuff was missing, so I was pretty excited to see you show up with all of it. The burns on my ankles also came from rope," he explained as he showed them to you. You swallowed hard and nodded.</p><p>"That must be painful."</p><p>"It's not too bad. This came from the leader after I… spit on his mask," Link quickly said as he pointed to his bruised cheek. You couldn’t help but smile.</p><p>"Who knew you were so rebellious?"</p><p>"Hey, maybe I was just inspired by you when you kicked Master Kohga years ago," he said with a laugh. You smiled at the memory of your adventure together.</p><p>"How about the lip?"</p><p>"Bit down too hard when they were whipping me," he admitted casually. Despite Link's nonchalant attitude, you had a feeling you were going to wake up in the middle of the night to help him through an emotional mess.</p><p>"That must be what all the lashes are from. I heard you cry out when I rescued you. I can't even imagine how much pain you were and still are in," you said as you sat up and looked at him. The only light source was the fireplace, which was on the opposite side of the room. It barely cast a glow that reached you.</p><p>"It's not so bad now, after you took care of me. Thank you, again," he mumbled quietly.</p><p>"Of course. Tell me about the burns and bruises," you said and nodded to the covered up wounds on his chest.</p><p>"The burns are from the hot metal plate they kept pushing against my chest and later my feet. The burns on my shoulders are from shock arrows," Link said as he tapped his shoulders. Your eyes widened.</p><p>"They electrocuted you?"</p><p>"Yeah, multiple times. But I'm okay now," he said with a smile. You weren’t buying his lie for a second. "The bruises are from the water tub they tried to drown me in. They would push my body down too quickly and ram my ribs into the edge of the tub."</p><p>Link noticed your expression falling more into fear. It was exactly why he was hesitant to tell you what happened. While he appreciated your company, he could handle himself on his own and didn’t need others being so concerned over his recklessness. "What about the cuts?" you asked and pointed to his arms.</p><p>"They thought giving me little nicks with their swords would get me to talk. It didn’t," he said with a causal shrug. You nodded and looked him over. Suddenly Link felt self-conscious. He'd never really asked you how you felt about all his scars, and he had enough for ten lifetimes over. "Most of it won't scar," he shamefully told you. Your eyes quickly snapped to his shy gaze.</p><p>"Link, I don’t care about that. I don’t care how many scars you have or how big they are. I care about the fact that you keep getting them. I want you to be more careful. There's a fine line between courage and recklessness," you told him. You reached out and took his hand in your own.</p><p>"You sound like Zelda."</p><p>"Good. At least someone else in your life knows when to tell you to slow down," you teased. "Ready to sleep? I know you're tired."</p><p>"Only if you'll be here with me through the night," he asked. You nodded with an encouraging smile.</p><p>"Of course I will. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."</p><hr/><p>You'd been asleep for a few hours when you woke up in the middle of the night. Your husband was no longer pressed against you. You sat up and realized he was sitting at your kitchen table. His elbows were on the table and his head was in his hands. You quietly slipped out of bed and walked across the wooden floor. "Link?" He didn’t answer you. His ears didn’t twitch, meaning he probably didn’t even hear you.</p><p>As you got closer, you could hear his choppy and rapid breathing. You reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Before you could say a word, Link had jumped up and grabbed your wrist, twisting it so he had you in a lock. "Link, it's me!" He took in the details of your face that were still visible thanks to the dying fireplace. He let go and took a step back.</p><p>"Sorry. Are you okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, I'm fine," you said and shook your wrist in an attempt to deal with the pain. "What's going on?" Link stepped back and attempted to land in the chair at the table, but missed and ended up on the floor. You pulled the chair over and placed it in front of him, taking a seat. You placed a hand on his arm and gently guided it to your lap. He accepted your invitation and crossed his arms over your thighs and laid his head down. Your fingers, now nimble from your years of the bow, started to play with his hair again. You would braid it and comb it back out, waiting for Link's breathing to return to normal. "You're safe now," you quietly whispered. "I promise they can't hurt you anymore."</p><p>You felt his arms relax a bit as he took in your words. You started to hum softly, trying to fill the silence with any noise that would make home feel more like it should. "It's okay to feel this way, you know. It makes you human. I know you feel that you have to bear this burden alone, but I'm always going to be here for you. I know it's hard to reach out sometimes, but don’t let that stop you. I love you very much and I want to take care of you," you told him as you loosened another braid in his hair. "Even when you feel alone, you're not. I'm there by your side. I don’t care how many scars you have or how many times you think you've failed. You are not a burden to me and you never will be."</p><p>Link finally shifted and looked up at you. Despite the low glow of the fire, you could still see his sapphire eyes twinkling. "Promise?"</p><p>"Cross my heart," you replied and crossed an x over your heart. "C'mon. Let's go back to bed. Come lay down and I'll get you some water," you said as you brushed the back of your hand against his cheek. He leaned into your touch and nodded against your hand. You waited for him to sit back from your lap and get to his feet before you stood up. Link wrapped his arms tightly around your frame and you hesitantly placed your hands on his shoulders. "Isn't this hurting you?"</p><p>"Don’t care," he muttered as he tucked his face into your neck. You chuckled and hung your arms around his neck loosely. "I love you, too. I'm glad I have a partner like you," he said as his warm breath fanned across your neck. Once he released you from his grip, you helped him back over to your makeshift bed. This time, you pulled a lantern from your storage boxes nearby and lit it in hopes of vanquishing any fears that could arise from the darkness.</p><p>You grabbed a glass from the kitchen and filled it with the last of the water from your kettle. You returned to Link and handed him the glass. Unsurprisingly, he drank the entire glass in one go. You took the glass from him and set it beside the lantern. He lied down on the mattress and looked up at you. "What else can I do to help?" you asked.</p><p>"Just you here with me," Link said as he held his hand out to you. You smiled and were about to lie down with him, but you stopped.</p><p>"Wait. I have an idea," you said excitedly. Link watched you go interestedly. You ran to your bookshelf and skimmed through the books until you found the one with the dusty red cover. You pulled it from the shelf and dashed back over to the bed. Link looked at the cover of the book and managed a small smirk.</p><p>"That’s a good one."</p><p>"I know," you replied with a smile. You opened the cover and turned to the first page. You cleared your throat before beginning your tale. "Long ago, before Hyrule rose as a great kingdom, the world was covered in ocean. Small islands scattered the globe and trade between the islands flourished. Pirate crews scoured the oceans in search of treasure.</p><p>"One of the most well-known islands was Dragon Roost Island. It was here that the Rito tribe thrived. They were the official postmasters of the islands and were in charge of all the mail across the seas. Their job was critical to the survival of the economy. To earn their wings, they had-"</p><p>"You skipped a line," Link muttered with his eyes closed. You looked back at the ink on the page and realized he was right.</p><p>"Of course, my mistake," you said with a teasing smirk. "Rito, however, were not born with their wings. To earn their wings, they had to retrieve a scale from the great dragon, Valoo. Valoo was a sky spirit, a protector of the Rito people. He happily gave his scales to any Rito who dared to travel up the mountain. Only once was there an interruption in this, and that was during the Reign of Evil."</p><p>"Skip to the good chapter." You looked up from the book to see his lazy smile. He had one eye cracked open to look at you. You nodded and flipped a few pages ahead.</p><p>"As you wish." You came upon chapter three and started to read. "Many influential people lived during the Era of Winds, but none were as influential as the Hero of Winds. The hero was a young child originating from Outset Island, a small island in the southwest sea. He was forced to follow his path at a young age after his younger sister was kidnapped suddenly. With courage to guide him, he set out on a quest to rescue Aryll."</p><p>Normally Link made a comment right around that line, so you thought it odd when you didn’t hear his voice. You looked up from the book to see Link fast asleep. You smiled sweetly and closed the book, setting it down beside the lantern. You lied down beside Link and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, my hero."</p><p>And finally, for the first time in days, you both got a good night's rest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you couldn't tell, I finished Windwaker last week! :)</p><p>Thanks for reading this long jumble of feelings! Hope you enjoyed it! See you all on Tuesday when Walking a Tightrope gets its next update!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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